日批在线视频_内射毛片内射国产夫妻_亚洲三级小视频_在线观看亚洲大片短视频_女性向h片资源在线观看_亚洲最大网

Chinadaily.com.cn sharing the Olympic spirit
OLYMPICS/ Team china


Sink or swim for Chinese rowers
By Cui Xiaohuo (China Daily/The Olympian)
Updated: 2007-11-16 13:47

 


Chinese rowers think they have a golden future ahead if China can fish out its first Olympic gold medal next summer in the fringe sport, which is now fighting for legitimacy in the increasingly sports-driven country.

"If we make a breakthrough in Beijing, rowing will become a top-priority sport," said Asian Games gold medalist Zhang Dechang, coxswain for the men's eight. "If we fail, rowing will continue along the way it is. It may even go downhill."

Only a gold would result in the prestige, funding and popularity that rowing so badly needs to migrate Chinese children away from dreams of joining the NBA or the national diving team. Anything less, officials say, it could go belly-up before it has had a chance to take off.

"Things are much harder now," said Guan Rongting, whose job as director of Shaoxing Water Sports Training School involves scouting for potential rowing talents from regional schools.

"Fewer parents with tall children believe their kids will have a better future in sports. Even for those who do, they go for big sports like basketball but definitely not rowing."

China's Long March for an Olympic gold has seen it go through almost two decades of trial and error. Although it has captured two silvers and two bronzes in that period since the women's coxed four earned its maiden medal at the 1988 Seoul Games, it has never led the field.


Xu Rui and Zhang Yangyang (front) cruise through the semifinals of the World Rowing Junior Championships 2007 at the Shunyi Rowing/Canoeing Park in Beijing on August 10. [China Daily]

Hence Guan's personal crusade.

The 49-year-old spends much of his time at his training school in Zhejiang Province, a beautiful pocket in Eastern China dotted with lakes that is known as the cradle of Chinese rowing. The national team is currently training in the area, at one of their three domestic bases.

Every day after school, 43 youngsters aged 11-15 pack up their text books, put on their life jackets and pick up their sculls under the guidance of five coaches bent on a single goal: taking Chinese rowing to the next level.

Several national and world champions started their careers at Guan's school but there are only 2,000 full-time rowers in the country -- a statistic that makes the director's job of lobbying local farmers and school deans to release their children to him that much harder.

However, there are signs of promise. A number of potential stars from the east have stamped their presence at international regattas, including the world championships in Munich this August, where eight boats consolidated their spots for the Beijing Games.

One of the top prospects for China is 24-year-old Xu Dongxiang, the Shaoxing-born world champion sculler who now trains 175 km from her hometown at the national training center near Hangzhou.

   Previous 1 2 Next  
Comments of the article(total ) Print This Article E-mail
PHOTO GALLERY
PHOTO COUNTDOWN
MOST VIEWED
OLYMPIAN DATABASE
主站蜘蛛池模板: 九九热精品在线 | 日韩中文在线观看 | 成人免费视频一区 | 伊人网伊人影院 | 亚洲网址在线观看 | jizz国产 | 亚洲天堂av在线播放 | 亚洲色图欧美日韩 | 成人黄色免费视频 | 中文字幕在线中文 | 福利二区视频 | 三年中国中文在线观看免费播放 | 蜜桃视频网站在线观看 | 国产91高清 | 日韩第一区 | 一区二区三区美女视频 | 亚洲妇女毛茸茸 | 中文字幕成人在线观看 | 超碰97在线播放 | 成人激情视频在线播放 | 国产一区二区在线视频观看 | 午夜寂寞影视 | 精品国产18久久久久久 | 国产精品v欧美精品v日韩 | 亚洲第一页综合 | 亚洲精品福利视频 | 日韩精品视频在线免费观看 | 黄色一级大片在线免费看产 | www.国产一区二区 | 亚洲怡红院在线观看 | 精品国产视频 | 成人片网址 | 黄色片视频免费观看 | 日韩欧美亚洲 | 色在线网站 | 一级黄色大毛片 | 人妖av在线| 亚洲国产爱 | 巨乳毛片| 黄色网址在线播放 | 日韩精品在线观看视频 |